


A Dragon Turtle Encounter

by everlightly



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:47:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23806348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/everlightly/pseuds/everlightly
Summary: The encounter with a dragon turtle goes poorly, resulting in the death of one of the Mighty Nein. Desperate for the components to raise the dead, Jester reaches out to Essek for help.Or: I miss Critical Role so much I started thinking about what could happen in Episode 100, the "bad timeline" version. Is it Thursday yet?
Comments: 5
Kudos: 88





	1. Chapter 1

The dragon turtle roars as iridescent beetles swirl around its head, biting into its skin. Another three bolts of green energy smash into its exposed neck, and the creature rears back, diving back under the water.

"It's going for the bow!" Fjord calls out, as the ship pitches sideways, and wood cracks from the impact.

A figure in blue darts across the water like a blur, her feet stepping lightly across the water, lightning crackling from her gloves. She punches her fists forward, and three bolts of lightning snap towards the dragon turtle. "It's looking beat up!" Beau calls back to the ship.

Caduceus moves towards the center of the ship, glances at Yasha, and says, "This next hit is really going to count."

Through her rage, Yasha hears this and grunts in acknowledgement, readying Skingorger at her side.

"He's coming around again!" yells Jester, and she unleashes a pink guiding bolt into the water.

As the dragon turtle bursts through the surface of the water, faintly glowing from Jester's spell, it bites and claws at Yasha, tearing into her shoulder and side. She shrugs off the pain, her eyes narrowed, and take two vicious swipes at the beast. Caduceus unleashes his spell, and with each impact, she carves off a chunk of its skin, penetrating through the thick scales.

A giant eagle circles overheard, a small halfling just visible amongst the golden feathers on his back. She unleashes two bolts from her crossbow, sinking deep into the soft green flesh of the dragon turtle's neck. Veth wraps her arms around the neck of Caleb's eagle form as he swoops down, clawing at the dragon turtle's face.

With a growl, the dragon turtle looms over the deck of the ship. Fjord places his hand on his chest, and the drifting water pooling on the deck underneath the creature's claw rises up and solidifies into shards of ice that cling to his shoulders and chest plate. He calls out, "Marius! Anytime now!"

A faint white mist trickles from the creature's flared nostrils and corners of its mouth. With a mighty roar, a wall of steam cascades across the deck of the ship. With a screech, the golden eagle shrinks back down to the form of a man, and Veth and Caleb tumble onto the deck. Caduceus, Yasha, and Fjord cry out as the steam washes over them, leaving the exposed skin raw with burns. The ice on Fjord's armor evaporates completely. The chittering iridescent beetles fade from the dome around Caduceus.

Beneath the deck of the ship, there is a crack of a cannon, and the dragon turtle lurches backwards, away from the ship, as a cannon ball rockets into its torso. A blond head peaks out from the side of the ship, scanning the water, and Beau pumps her fists in the air.

"Fuck yeah, Marius!" Beau calls out. "Do that again!"

The dragon turtle falls backwards, away from the ship and crashes into the water. The ship rocks from the sudden loss of the dragon turtle's weight clinging to the side. Waves ripple out from the impact, and Beauregard deftly leaps from wave to wave, unleashing another wave of lightning-imbued attacks against the dragon turtle.

Caduceus releases a healing word, sweeping over his companions. The bubbling, raw skin on those subject to the steam breath cools over, a brief respite from the scorching pain. As his beetles fall, Jester sends up her own hamster unicorn guardians, swirling in a pink dome around her and her friends, scattered across the deck. Yasha rushes to the edge of the deck, Skingorger at the ready, and she scans the water, waiting for the creature to emerge again. Veth creeps up behind her, peaking over the edge of the ship, crossbow poised for attack. Fjord readies his eldritch blasts near the center mast. Behind them, Caleb takes out a raven's feather, lifts into the air, hovering ten feet over the deck of the ship, and flies towards the bow. It falls eerily silent, with the only sound being the waves lapping against the ship's hull.

"He's going under the ship!" Beau yells.

The dark shadow drifts under the ship, slamming into the hull, nearly toppling the ship. A tortle head peaks up from the hull, and says, "Can't take many more hits like that, Cap'n!"

"We're doing the best we can," Fjord replies, and the dragon turtle bursts from the water on the opposite side of the ship.

Beau runs up the side of the ship, gliding over half the deck with a vault over the railing. She sprints across the deck and taking a running leap off the other side, launching the lightning towards the dragon turtle. Behind her, two crossbow bolts and a volley of green blasts arc towards it, slamming into his head and exposed neck.

Jester flicks out her hand, and a giant, shimmering bell tolls above the creature's head, the echo reverberating. It roars and twists away from the sound. Caduceus glances over towards Caleb and calls out, "Next spell, I'll help you out!"

Hover above the edge of the ship, Caleb gives a curt nod in acknowledgement, and digs through his component pouch, pulling out a pale-colored lodestone. With his index finger pointing at the creature and the lodestone in his palm, he drags his dust-covered fingers up his arm, and a thin line of green energy shoots towards the creature. The spell, enhanced by Caduceus's intervention, disintegrates a chunk of the shell armor on its side and back. The monster roars in agony, and locks eyes onto the origin of its pain.

Fjord launches a bolt of crackling blue energy from the hit of the Star Razor, but the dragon turtle barely acknowledges impact, save for an irritated snarl. With its gaze focused on the flying wizard, the steam collects at the corners of its open jaw, and it unleashes a blast of its breath. The edges of Caleb's scarf disintegrate to ash from the heat, and his hair curls and singes.

His eyes flicker close as he falls unconscious. His body tumbles from the sky, no longer under under command of the spell. In slow motion, the figure slams into the railing of the ship, and then tumbles over the edge.

Veth cries out and throws her feather component to ease his fall, but she loses sight of his body too quickly, there is a loud splash as Caleb's unconscious form hits the water.

Beau screams out in frustration, as she watches Caleb fall out of her sight, launching another flurry of blows at the dragon turtle. The lightning crackles against the exposes skin at its back, and it roars out in pain, blood now pouring down the neck and out the cracked shell.

From within the ship, there is another crack of a cannon, and the projectile slams into the creature's other shoulder, blasting off another chunk of shell. Veth runs along the railing of the ship, heading towards where Caleb fell, and sends another pair of crossbow bolts over her shoulder towards the dragon turtle. They both sink deep into its neck, and the creature sways, barely clinging to life. With looking back, Veth runs to the opposite side of the ship, scanning the ocean for Caleb.

Jester takes a shaky step forward and holds out the symbol of the Traveler. She raises her gaze to the sky, whispering a brief prayer under her breath, and then fires out a bolt of pink energy. The bolt glides through the sky, and there is a faint hooded green figure traveling with the spell, carefully guiding it straight through the open mouth of the dragon turtle. The pink light glitters around its head and expands in a burst of divine light, burning the creature's inner throat and dissolving the musculature. Its empty skull tips to the side, and with a splash, the ocean water wraps around its body, dragging it under the sea.

Yasha reaches an arm over the slide of the ship to help lift Beau up over the side, while the rest of the Mighty Nein run to the edge of the ship.

"Did anyone see where he went under?" Beau asks, leaping back onto the ship, steadied by Yasha's outstretched arm.

"The ship has been moving since he went down," Veth says, her voice pitched high with fear. "He could be anywhere!"

With the sun high in the sky above them, the light refracts off the water, making it difficult to see any shape beneath its surface. Caduceus scans the water with his keen eyes, and points ten feet back from the bow of the ship. Without a word, Fjord dives off the edge of the ship, slipping under the choppy waves and disappears into the ocean.

The five of them hover in silence at the edge of the ship, scanning the ocean for a stretch of silence that feels like eternity instead of the few seconds that tick by.

Finally, Fjord's head breaks the surface of the water, a head of reddish-brown hair held close to his chest. With a wave of his staff, Caduceus takes control of a stretch of ocean water, and lifts the two in a column of water up the deck of the ship. Jester is already running over grabbing at Caleb's body, casting cure wounds as she pulls him back onto the deck of the ship. Fjord tumbles out of the column of water, in a soaking wet heap.

As Jester releases the spell, it evaporates, ineffective, against his skin.

"No, no, no no," Jester repeats over and over. She glances at her symbol of the Traveler, and then up at Caduceus. Tears well in her eyes, and she checks for a pulse in his wrist. Veth scrambles over to Caleb's side, and grabs onto one of his cold hands, presses it between hers.

"Jester, why isn't he waking up? Why didn't the spell work?" Veth demands. "Caleb, wake up, now. Please, Caleb, wake up."

Caduceus strides forward and crouches beside Caleb's body.

"We have to revive him," Jester says.

Caduceus responds slowly, his eyes wide, like he can't quite believe what is happening. "We don't have any diamonds to revive him. We use them on Fjord and Orly."

"Where do we get more diamonds?" Veth asks. "Where's the closest port?"

"We are in the middle of the ocean, halfway to volcanic island," Fjord replies, pressing his hands against his forehead. "There are no ports on our path."

Beau stumbles forward now, staring at the body of her friend. She collapses onto her knees, silent. Caduceus reaches over and with a wave of his staff, a shimmering net of green energy settles over the body. "This will preserve him a little while longer. We have about three weeks to find diamonds."

"I'll go find Orly," Fjord says, pushing himself to his feet. "We will plot a new course."

"He can't just be dead for three weeks," Jester says, and Fjord shoots her a confused look. "He's going to be so lonely."

Jester begins digging through her pockets and pulls out a pale pearl. She presses the pearl between her hands, just enough energy in the pearl to stretch her one more spell beyond her limit. She focuses on a particular drow wizard who is known to be capable of teleporting to the middle of the ocean.

Jester takes a deep breath and says, "Bring 500 gold of diamonds to Ball-Eater. Caleb is dead." Her voice cracks on this word, but she takes a shaky breath and continues. "Can bring him back with diamonds. Please, Essek, you're the only one who can save – " him. The spell dissipates before she can complete the sentence.

"Essek?" Veth says, her eyes narrowed. "You're going to rely on Essek to save Caleb?"

Beau shakes her head, and finally pulls her eyes away from Caleb and looks over at Fjord, who paused on his way to find Orly. She motions him to go, and says, "Change our course. We need to get to a city as soon as possible."

"Essek will help us," Jester insists. "I'm sure of it."

"Did he respond yet?" Veth demands.

Jester takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. She still feels the faintest tingle of the spell in the back of her mind. Its magic hasn't faded yet.

"I can carry him below deck," Yasha offers, quietly. "Out of the elements."

Veth shuffles aside as Yasha picks up the body, and begins moving towards the stairs, with Fjord at her side. Veth and Caduceus follow them down.

Beau places one hand on Jester's shoulder. "It's okay, Jes. We'll get to a port, and we will get Caleb back."

Jester does respond. She focuses on the last remnants of the sending spell in her mind, her hopes plummeting.

In the moment before the spell fades completely, Essek's voice echoes in her head: I will be there, Jester, I promise.

Jester lets out a choked sob, and Beau wraps her in a hug.

"He said he will come," Jester murmurs into Beau's shoulder. "He promises."

Beau bites back her irritation at Essek and his promises, and instead hugs her tighter.

Essek is hovering before a table in his laboratory when the message comes through. Spell components are scattered across its surface, and Essek is carefully inscribing another attempt at a arcane sigil in chalk on the surface.

Bring 500 gold of diamonds to Ball-Eater.

Essek startles out of his focus, and the chalk snaps in his hand. He sighs, irritated, and the message continues.

Caleb is dead.

At this, the drow wizard freezes. It can't be.

Can bring him back with diamonds. Please, Essek, you're the only one who can save –

Him.

His mind finishes the sentence when Jester's voice abruptly ends. He stares at the table, at the half-inscribed rune. He can feel the buzz of magic in his mind, waiting for a response, but he feels like his mind is churning through thoughts in slow motion.

It's not until he feels the magic starting to fade that his senses finally return, and he hurriedly responds, "I'll be there, Jester. I promise."

Essek takes a deep breath and reaches for a scrap of paper and writes in his elegant cursive, 500 gold worth of diamonds. It's not as though he wouldn't remember, but the very act of writing it down, like an item to be checked off a shopping list, somehow brings a mote of calm to his racing mind.

It is late afternoon in Rosohna, so still enough time to scour everywhere he can manage. Scattered throughout his own components are a few small chunks of rough diamonds, but they barely amount to even a fifth of the value needed. He tucks them into a small pouch and leaves it on his laboratory bench and glides out the door.

"Vella!" he calls down the spiraling stairway.

A gray-skinned drow ducks her head out of the dining area. "Yes, Shadowhand?"

"I need you to help me acquire spell components," Essek says. Once he reaches the bottom of the stairs, he summons a chest, scoops out around a hundred platinum and dumps it all into a small gold purse, handing it over to the servant.

Vella stares down, jaw dropped at the contents of the purse. "Shadowhand, I worry that I will not understand or obtain the quality of components that you require."

"It is not complicated, Vella. I simply require diamonds. Do what you must and return quickly. Time is of the essence," Essek replies, pulling out chalk from his cloak.

Vella bows her head and tucks the coin purse into her robes. Essek begins inscribing a teleportation circle on the floor as Vella hurries out the front door. With the final line in place, the circle illuminates and Essek steps through.

The teleportation circle located at the Marble Tomes Conservatory is located in a small, closed off room in the lower levels. Two guards stand at attention as Essek arrives, while a third goes to open the door to the rest of the conservatory. He glides up to the higher floors, and raps his fist twice against the door before letting himself in.

"Have you no respect?" demands a half-orc as way of greeting.

Essek tips his head in her direction. "Dr. Waccoh"

"Your pleasantries always irritate me, Shadowhand, so let's skip those today," Waccoh calls from her desk. She sweeps her hand across the desk, and the few objects on it shimmer and disappear from sight.

"I was just about the suggest the same," Essek responds, sweeping into the room without pretense.

Waccoh sizes up the Shadowhand through the long eyepiece, frowning, her tusks pressing into her upper lip. "I've never seen you so frazzled," she says, leaning forward, intrigued. "What can I do for you?"

Essek attempts to regain control of his facial features. "I require diamonds for a spell. I will pay in full."

Waccoh lets out a short, staccato laugh. "You require diamonds? What, are you a cleric now?"

"I do not ask about your research, and you do not ask about mine," Essek replies coolly. He pulls out his own coin purse. "I presume amongst the treasures you hoard you have the gemstones I require."

Waccoh stands and moves from behind her desk. "I certainly do, but I will not accept their worth in gold as exchange."

"I will pay double their worth," Essek replies, before cursing himself silently. She undoubtedly would pick up on the desperation lacing his intentions.

"You should know, Shadowhand, that I care little for amassing wealth like a common noble," Waccoh sneers. "If I am to give you some diamonds, I would require two favors in return."

"A one for one favor," Essek counters.

Waccoh clicks her tongue and says, "You did just say you will pay double their worth. Their worth is one favor; therefore, you owe me two."

For a brief moment, Essek allows himself to consider walking away. He is already too entangled in politics and subterfuge. Doing any single favor for Waccoh could tip the very delicate balance he maintains between his loyalty to the Dynasty and his dealings with the Empire. Accepting two favors, and any luck he had to get through the first without incident could not possibly hold. Besides just that, any attention he draws to himself by aligning with Waccoh, even for a set time, would draw eyes of Den Thelyss, and the other Dens as well. His methods have always relied on being present but not drawing attention. So much could be put in jeopardy over such a deal.

It was only a moment before he dismisses the concern. There is more on the line than the outcomes of his foolish dealings. He had made a promise to Jester, and while he could not be counted on for complete honesty, he liked to think himself good for his promises.

He presses his lips together, before giving her a single, curt nod.

Waccoh chuckles, and walks behind a small curtain, calling over her shoulder, "I like this version of you, Shadowhand. He should come by more often!"

Essek's hand taps impatiently against his leg, as he listens to the sound of shuffling chests and trinkets. After a few minutes, Waccoh returns and hands over a medium-sized canvas bag, weighted with the gems. Essek peaks into the bag, and remarks, "I was expecting more of you, Waccoh. Is this really all I obtain in exchange for two favors?"

"First, these are in exchange for one favor. You doubled it to two." Waccoh turns her back on Essek and shuffles behind her desk. "Second, these are all the diamonds in my collection, I assure you. As desperate you reek, I would certainly not hold back."

Essek eyes her before accepting the statement as truth. He will have to hope Vella finds more components. "Very well, Dr. Waccoh. Until we meet again." He tips his head in her direction, before floating towards the exit.

"I look forward to it, Shadowhand!" Waccoh calls after him. "Give my greetings to those Mighty Nein folk you watch over!"

Essek presses his lips together, and without looking over his shoulder, shuts the door behind him. It was a purposeful jab. Tuss Waccoh does not send her greetings to anyone. Somehow, she knew this early evening visit was connected to the Mighty Nein. As much as Essek did not want to admit it to himself, he had been unbearably easy to read. Of course she could figure it out. Essek would never take on the burden of two favors from Waccoh for his own benefit. He has never requested anything of her before. He did not have any real ties to anyone in the entirety of Rosohna. His affection for the colorful troupe is plain for anyone who cared to look, and he only had himself to blame for that.

With most of his magical energy depleted from his work throughout the day, Essek is left to return by foot, or more accurately, by float. He considers his next move. He would need to restudy the teleport spell in preparation, and at a minimum, take a brief respite before he would have the energy for such a spell. His mind grows restless at the thought of having to wait, but there is little to be done.

Essek soon returns, and once he enters, he calls out for Vella, but there is no response. He bites back a curse and instead retreats to his study, the door opened slightly so he can listen for her return. He criticizes himself for not learning that Sending spell that Jester uses. He certainly has the capabilities to, as a wizard, but never did he think he would need such a spell. When would he have ever needed to contact anyone so urgently? So bothersome, having friends. He settles in at his desk, spell book open before him, as the evening wanes.

Essek is startled from his trance by the sound of the front door opening. He must have rested for a few hours at this point. He begins floating down the stairs as Vella starts up them.

"I had to search quite a few places, but I was able to obtain the diamonds," she reports. "Around 400 gold worth." She hands it over along with a half-empty pouch of platinum.

In a rare moment of devotion, he whispers a prayer of thanks to the Luxon that he obtained the diamonds from Waccoh. Otherwise, he would certainly have been short of the required components. Turning away from Vella, he says, "Good, thank you."

She bows her head towards him and begins to descend the stairs.

"Vella," Essek calls out, and she turns to look at him. "If anyone looks for me over the next day, please know I am not to be disturbed."

"Are you finally taking a day off, Shadowhand?" Vella asks.

He pauses and shoots her a cautious look. "No one is to know of this exchange. I am simply busy with my research."

Vella tips her head again, and retreats down the stairs. Essek tries to shake off the feeling of paranoia that seems to haunt his consciousness at all times. Returning to his laboratory, he gathers up all the diamonds, worth a little over 800 gold. Looking through the pieces Vella obtained, there's a collection of rough diamonds, rings and necklaces with the gems inlaid with gold. A few pieces he dismisses as white sapphire or topaz. He could have to reprimand Vella for being so gullible of merchant intentions, but it is enough.

Essek gathers a few other components and exchanges his heavy robes for a lighter fabric he had previously used under the sun and warm temperatures of the Lucidian Ocean. He tucks the diamonds into his robes, double checks that he has them all, before he begins casting his teleport, his mind focused on the Mighty Nein's ship.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Essek arrives with the spell components needed to revive Caleb. The Mighty Nein deal with the aftermath of losing a second of their companions on this ocean voyage.

Caleb is taken to Jester's room, larger than the one he had claimed, with enough room for multiple people to be in there at once. He is placed on the bed, Caduceus's shimmering magic still coating the body, emitting a faint green glow that gently lights up the room. Between Yasha and Veth, they peeled off his wet coat, scarf and boots. Half of his face pallid and flaking from the steam breath burns, but not raw and red with blood like Veth's own wounds from the attack. Without words, Veth takes her post at the foot of the bed, leaning against the wall. She watches the body, waiting for a breath to expand in his chest, a breath that will not come.

"I am going to keep watch outside," Yasha murmurs, excusing herself from the room. Fjord hovers in the doorway with Caduceus.

"Veth?" Fjord says.

Before he can continue, Veth says, "I'm staying here until he wakes up."

"You're still injured, and I don't much left in me to heal you with," Caduceus says. "You need to rest."

"I'm fine," Veth snaps. "I'll just rest here."

Fjord shuffles out the doorway, and heads further below deck, intent on charting a new course with Orly. Caduceus sighs and wanders back onto the deck.

Jester and Beau still kneel where Caleb had first been recovered. Jester's head is buried in Beau's shoulder, and neither of them move save for shuttering, unsteady breaths shared between them. Glancing about, he spots Yasha at the bow of the ship, perched with one leg dangling over the edge the other tucked up against her chest, eyes focused on the horizon.

The sun is just starting to lower in the sky. Caduceus sits near the stern, legs crossed, eyes closed, and begins his prayers to the Wildmother. He prays for her guidance and protection for this seemingly cursed voyage. Three deaths and they were not even at the destination, where a rather peculiar fey entity planned only the gods know what.

Beau and Jester eventually walk together below deck. The voices of Fjord and Orly drift up from deeper below deck, and there is shuffling of papers as maps are unfolded.

They enter Caleb's room, and Veth glances over. Silently, Beau slides down the opposite wall from where Caleb's bed is pressed against. Jester's eyes drift over the body, and her exhaustion descends all at once. The sun still in the sky, she retreats to her room, leaving Beau and Veth behind.

Sitting on her bed, she pulls out her sketchbook. She flips back through, to the page where she had drawn Yasha's eyes, filled with tears, while she had been under Obann's control. Jester pulls out her inks and tries to remember what Caleb's eyes looked like during one of his rare smiles. After a few attempts, none of which look right, she falls into a restless sleep.

Jester wakes to the sound of repairs being completed. The echoes of hammers and clattering of wood planks echoes through the otherwise silent ship hold. Glancing down the gun deck, she sees only a faint moonlight trickling down the stairway to the deck.

She walks back into Caleb's room. Veth is still perched at the foot of the bed. Her shoulders are hunched, and her eyes are bloodshot. Beau's head bobs forward before her eyes blink open. She looks over to Jester as she enters.

"You should all rest," Jester says. "I'll be here."

"No, I should stay," Veth says, stretching out her stiff legs.

"Yeah, I'm fine to watch longer," Beau says, squinting her eyes, and stifling a yawn.

None of them seem to question the need to watch over the dead body, not acknowledging the uselessness. Although, as Jester looks over their exhausted faces, perhaps it wasn't entirely useless, if it brought a small sense of control over this situation that was almost entirely out of their hands. They can rely only on the ocean's temperament as they sailed towards the nearest port, or possibly on a drow thousands of miles across land and sea.

"You are both exhausted," Jester replies, and crosses her arms over her chest. "If anything attacks the ship, you will both be useless. That wouldn't be very good."

Beau sighs, trying to focus in on her ki through aching muscles, but after her uneasy nap, she feels only a faint connection.

"Then stay," Jester says, sitting down next to Beau. "Stay but sleep."

Veth's shoulders slump and she nods. Still at the foot of the bed, she curls up, and for a moment she can pretend they are back, in another time, just her and Caleb moving from town to town in their easy companionship.

Jester sidles up next to Beau, pressing their shoulders together. Beau finally allows sleep to come.

Caduceus sleeps in his bed, but his mind is too restless for proper rest. He hears movement from Jester's room, and soft footsteps across the hall to Caleb's room. Giving up on sleep, he wanders back out onto the deck. Marius keeps watch at the stern, and Shelda is perched in the crow's nest. Caduceus takes up his meditation near the center mast, facing the horizon, patiently waiting for morning.

The horizon turns red as the sun rises, instead of the gentle orange and violets he often saw in mornings on the ocean. As he is deciding whether or not that is an ill omen, there is a soft popping sound.

From the stern, he hears Marius shout out a warning, and above, Shelda whips out a crossbow, directing it to the ship's bow. Caduceus glances over, pleasantly surprised to find Essek had appeared.

"It's alright, Shelda!" Caduceus calls up, and Essek's eyes snap over to the familiar firbolg.

"Where's Caleb?" Essek asks, breathless. "Am I too late?"

Caduceus stands and moves towards the stairs below deck, gesturing for Essek to follow.

"We have company," Caduceus calls through the ship's hold. He leads Essek down the gundeck, only Caduceus's footsteps creaking across the wood. Behind them, Yasha ducks out of her small room and follows. Essek tries to ignore the discomfort at having the barbarian walk behind him, like escorting a prisoner.

Further down the hall at the far end, Fjord peaks out from his room, and his eyes narrow as he recognizes the drow. Last time Essek had seen them had been just a few days before at the peace talks. They regarded Essek and his motives warily, for which he could not blame them. Considering this is one of his first attempts at maintaining friendships, he was sorely unaware of the expectations, especially from this unconventional troupe.

Caduceus leads him into a room at the end of the hall, his staff illuminated with a gentle white light. Inside, Jester leans with her back against the wall, Beau leaning against Jester, her head resting on the tiefling's shoulder. Essek's eyes lock onto the body laid upon the bed, covered in a shimmering net of green energy. At the foot of the bed, the halfling stirs, and sits up.

Beau rubs the back of her neck as she stands. "I didn't think you would come."

"Of course I came," Essek hisses, and he sweeps past her, further into the room.

Beau sticks out her foot, and Essek glides seamlessly over. She snorts and leans against the wall, making space for Caduceus to enter. Essek glances over at Beau's deep frown, and drops out of his hover, for reasons he couldn't quite explain. This seemed to satisfy her somewhat, and her faces settles into ambivalence.

"Oh, Essek," Jester says quietly, tears gathering at the corner of her eyes. She jumps up and wraps him in a hug.

Essek doesn't even squirm at the sudden contact. He just stares at the body. Caleb's skin is pallid, his eyes gently closed. His hair is loose and still damp, and his clothes are stiff with drying sea salt. Jester steps back to stand beside Veth.

"What happened?" Essek asks, quietly.

"Dragon turtle," Caduceus responds, after no one answers. "He fell overboard."

"He is lucky to have such capable companions," Essek replies.

"Yourself included," Caduceus replies slowly.

Essek dismisses the comment with a wave of his hand and begins pulling out the pouch of clinking gems. Caduceus steps forward, trading places with Beau, who shuffles out of the way, back to the doorway where Fjord and Yasha watch.

Essek hands over the diamonds towards Jester, but her hands stay at her side. Caduceus glances at her, trying to catch her eye, but she just looks down at Caleb. He leans his illuminated staff against the wall and collects the diamonds from Essek, pulling out little more than half. He balances the components on Caleb's chest and stretches out his hands.

Veth shuffles forward and brushes a few strands of hair away from Caleb's eyes. She whispers, "Caleb, come back to us now."

Caduceus places his hands onto Caleb's chest, igniting the spell. The diamonds shatter into green shards and sink into Caleb's chest. White fungus blooms across the burns of his skin. Bloody seawater bubbles up from his chest in floating rivulets and evaporating. The fungus peels away and dissolves, leaving behind clean, pale skin. Caduceus squeezes his eyes shut, praying for the Wildmother's strength. Below his fingers, he feels the chest expand and a breath enter the lungs.

Caleb's eyes flicker open, as bright blue as they always have been. As she watches him awake, Jester wonders how she could have ever forgotten what his eyes look like. His skin is still pallid, but the color is slowly drifting back into his face. He has dark circles under his eyes, but his breathing is deep and steady.

"Caleb?" Veth says, peering into his eyes. "Caleb, how do you feel?"

Without moving his head, Caleb's eyes flick over to Veth's. His eyelids are already drifting close, when he whispers, "It's so lonely there."

Veth's hands are shaking uncontrollably, and she feels tears burn in her eyes. Behind her, Jester wraps her in a hug, and Veth melts into the comforting warmth.

Caduceus casts healing spell over Caleb, and then another. "He will just need to rest now."

Yasha reaches forward from around Beau, and touches Caleb's leg, casting her own healing magic for him.

"We should let Caleb sleep," Fjord says, and begins ushering everyone out the room. Veth remains standing by his bedside, just watching Caleb's chest rise and fall.

As they leave, Beau looks around, suddenly noticing the absence of the drow. She charges back to the deck of the ship, where is Essek is drawing out his teleportation circle with sparkling chalk.

She stomps over and stands atop the circle, her hands on her hips. "So that's it? You dropped off some diamonds and now you just go back?"

Essek furrows his eyebrows as he looks up at Beauregard. "Do you require anything else of me?"

"Well, no," Beau stutters, "I just figured you would stay until Caleb woke up."

"Why?"

Beau throws her arms up in the air. "I don't know! To tell him the he owes you his life? Another favor to add to our ever-growing debt?"

Essek is visibly irritated now, and he replies, "Do you really think so little of me?"

"Yeah, I do."

At this, Essek leans back on his heels, pausing his circle, and letting the magic fade. On the horizon, the sun is fully visible and already the light makes his eyes squint and ache. "What would you have me do, Beauregard? You do not trust me to stay without demanding something in return, and yet you are irritated and ask why I leave so soon?"

"Your motives are more than suspicious," Beau shoots back.

"I have fairly earned your distrust," Essek says. "Long before our paths ever crossed, I had already betrayed you. But now? I am trying to do the next right thing. I would never let Caleb die when given the chance to save him."

Beau glares, unflinching. Essek raises his hand to shield his eyes from the burgeoning sunlight, forcing him to look away. Finally, he hears her step aside. "If you want to wait for Caleb to wake up, you can wait in the captain's quarters. They aren't being used at the moment." She spins on her heels and returns below deck, not waiting to see what he decides.

About an hour passes before Caleb's returns to consciousness. His eyes flicker open, and Veth is immediately at his side. On the wall, two sconces flicker with gentle candlelight.

"Oh, you're awake," she sighs. "Are you thirsty? Hungry? I'm sure Caduceus will make whatever you want. Are you hot? Cold? I can get some blankets?"

Caleb blinks and squints in the direction of Veth's voice. "I'm not very hungry."

"Well, you should drink some water, at least," Veth says, pulling out her own water skin. "If that damned barbarian didn't take my flask, you could have a proper drink."

"Water is perfect," Caleb replies. "Thank you, Veth."

"Do you want your cat?" Veth asks suddenly. "Where's Frumpkin? Is he still a monkey? Can you summon Frumpkin? Oh, wait, don't do that if that's too difficult. I will just get some blankets."

Caleb waves off her concern, and in the blink of an eye, Frumpkin appears at his side. The orange cat immediately walks across his chest and bumps his nose against Caleb's chin. He curls up in the crook between Caleb's neck and shoulder, purring loudly.

"Here, drink some water," Veth says, fumbling with the cap of the water skin.

"I'm okay," Caleb replies. "Just a little tired."

Veth pauses, looking down at her shaking hands. "You scared me a lot, Caleb."

"Now you know how it feels," Caleb wheezes.

"Listen, I always check for traps now, but you! You are not allowed anywhere near the water. Do you hear me?" She shudders, a chill crawling down her spine. "It's a terrible way to die."

"Ja, it's not fun."

"Do you want me to get Jester or Caduceus? Are you still really hurt?" Veth asks, but when she looks over at Caleb, his eyes are already shut, and a gentle, steady breath rising and falling in his chest.

Veth tries to bite down on her panic, and scrambles out of the room, shouting, "Clerics! Where's the clerics?" She slams into Beau, sitting outside in the hallway.

She rises to her feet, saying, "What is it? Is Caleb okay?"

"He just woke up and fell back asleep but I'm worried that he is going to get dehydrated because he didn't drink anything, and I think he needs more magic. Where's the clerics?"

Beau peaks into the room, and then looks back at Veth. "He is just tired. How about I take watch for a little bit, and you sleep? You're acting a little – "

"A little what?" Veth screeches, her eyes wide. "A little crazy? A little sleep-deprived? That's because I am! Caleb was dead for a whole night!"

"Okay," Beau says, putting up her hands in surrender. "It's all fine. Caleb is alive. I will watch him. How about you just sleep for a bit?"

Veth slumps against the wall, her face buried in her hands. "I feel like every nerve in my body is just completely fried. I can't feel anything."

"Get some sleep, Veth."

Veth stumbles down the gundeck, and collapses onto her cot, strung up between the cannons. As Beau enters Caleb's bedroom, Frumpkin opens one eye to watch her enter. Beau slides down against the wall, taking up her post again until he next awoke.

Essek is sitting in the captain's quarters, his back turned on the eerily accurate sculpture of Fjord's head. He feels as though he should ask questions, but this is one of those rare occasions he would be afraid to hear the answer. He writes in a notebook, laying out equations and corresponding sigils in neat rows across the page. He had drawn the curtains, so only a beam of daylight drifted through the window from the balcony.

He hears the approach of heavy footsteps. The doors to the quarters are knocked open, and Essek squints at the sudden flood of sunlight into the room, seeing only a dark silhouette outlined.

"Hurry up. Caleb's awake, and I said you were going to talk to him," Beau says.

"You knew I stayed?" Essek asks, pocketing his notebook and ink.

"Yeah, I had figured," Beau replies. "Come on."

Essek shields his eyes from the sunlight best he can before they go below deck again. Veth is sound asleep in her cot, and even the shuffle of both of their footsteps on the creaking wood do not wake her.

Essek enters the room, leaving Beau to stand outside the door. Not out of earshot though. That's not her style.

Caleb is sitting up, drinking from a water skin, and petting his familiar, who sits curled up in his lap.

"Beauregard tells me you are responsible for the components that revived me," Caleb says, as greeting. "It seems I will always owe you a debt."

Essek shuffles uncomfortably on his feet, his eyes avoiding meeting Caleb's. "I realized, recently, that you have all done so much more for me than I ever have or will ever do for you. If there is a debt to be repaid, it is surely mine."

Caleb shifts his legs over and gestures for Essek to sit. Essek seems grateful, if only because it gives him a reason to stare at the wall and away from Caleb's gaze. Caleb waits, patiently for Essek to continue.

After a stretch of silence, Essek sighs. "I don't think you and your friends understand how sharply you all changed my trajectory. I don't deserve it, but I am grateful that at least some may look back on my memory not entirely with complete contempt. Helping you now is truly the least I could do."

"You speak as though you are the one who died," Caleb jokes weakly.

Essek frowns, and closes his eyes, like he is trying to block out the memory of Caleb's lifeless body.

"What is it like?" Caleb asks softly. "To not fear death, and what comes beyond?"

At this Essek ducks his head, staring down at his hands that lay folded in his lap. He considers, thoughtfully for a moment before responding, "I would not know. I fear death same as you."

"But surely it is different if you are consecuted. You can trust your soul to return to this plane, as long as a beacon is near."

"I'm afraid that is one more manner in which I mislead you," Essek says. "I lied about my being consecuted."

When Caleb doesn't respond, Essek rises to leave, unable to be a part of the conversation any longer.

"Wait, Essek," Caleb says, grasping his hand and disturbing the cat on his lap.

Essek pauses as Caleb's fingers loosely entwine with his own, still chilled from their brush with death. Essek, for the first time since entering this room, looks into Caleb's eyes.

Caleb seems to struggle to find words, before settling on murmuring, "Stay safe."

"I should be saying that to the man who fought off the dragon turtle," Essek replies, a half-hearted quip. On an impulse, he moves towards Caleb, and places a light kiss on his forehead. He whispers, "There are many people here who love you, Caleb."

He pulls his hand from Caleb's, and with the muttering of a few arcane words, he levitates a few inches off the floor. Caleb recognizes this invisible barrier go up around Essek and observes the return of the Shadowhand persona.

"Until next time, Caleb Widogast," Essek says. "Please have Jester inform me on how you fare."

With a formal bow of his head, the Shadowhand floats from the quarters.

Beau ducks into the room as soon as the drow is out of earshot and says, "He's not consecuted?"

Caleb sighs deeply. "You are very nosy, Beauregard."

"I was keeping watch. Someone had to make sure he didn't kidnap you or anything."

Caleb gives her a wry look, before changing the subject. "Is Jester around? I was very surprised to not have received a visit from her green-hooded archfey upon my return to the realm of the living."

Beau's demeanor shifts dramatically at the mention of Jester. "I don't know what happened with her. She's been sitting in the crow's nest ever since you, ah, woke up."

"That feels very unlike her."

Beau grimaces. "I worry this journey is taking a toll on her. It's beginning to feel like a cursed voyage."

"Will you check in with her for me?"

"You can do that yourself," Beau says. "I can go get her."

But Caleb shakes his head. "Go to her, Beauregard."

There is a brief moment of understanding passed between them. Caleb closes his eyes, and Frumpkin curls back into his lap. Beau presses her lips together, and heads above deck.

Jester lays amongst the stack of pillows that made up Caduceus's pillow fort. Her sketchbook lies by her side, open to her sketch of Caleb's eyes, but remains untouched.

"I have been waiting for you to call on me."

Jester startles, and sits up, glancing around for the voice. Behind her, sitting cross-legged amongst the pillow sits the Traveler, his green hood hiding his face. As she turns to sit opposite him, he lowers his hood.

"Why didn't you call on me, Jester?" he asks. "I listened to your prayers all night, and yet when the time came to return the human to life, I heard nothing."

Jester does respond, her eyes staring at the sketchbook.

His green eyes narrow. "You doubted me."

"I didn't—" But she pauses. "I just thought since Caduceus had cast the gentle repose, he should be the one to do the reviving."

"Don't try to deceive me, Jester. You doubted I had the power to grant you his revivification." Artagan leans forward. "I have helped you return your friends to life before. What about this made it different? Even after you learned of my exact nature, you were still able to revive your tortle friend. How could you doubt me?"

"Jester? Jester, are you up there?" From below, Beau's voice echoes up to the crow's nest.

The green hood rises again and covers his face in shadow. As his form begins to shimmer, translucent, a voice echoes through her head: "I have never given you reason to doubt me, Jester. Do not give me reason to doubt you."

Beau's face peaks up over the edges. "Hey."

Jester looks up at her. "Hi."

"Do you want some company?"

Wordlessly, she scooches over.

Beau swings over the side and sits down. They are quiet for a moment, just watching the sun drift overhead, the ocean endless around them. Jester closes her eyes, and for a moment she can imagine it's just her and Beau, floating in the sky, the rest of the world and its worries melt away.

"So, I've been thinking with you being up here and stuff. So I wanted to come up here and ask, are you blaming yourself?" Beau says, breaking the silence.

Jester's breath gets caught in the back of her throat.

Beau sees the sudden wide-eyed look in Jester's face, and she quickly adds, "It isn't your fault! That's not what I'm saying. Fuck. Like, we would always have come with you to Travelercon. And we were already going to be out here for the negotiations. It's not like we haven't faced dangerous shit before, you know?"

Jester tucks her knees up to her chest. "I'm just worried."

"About?"

She plays with the pages of her sketchbook. "That things are going to get worse, and that there is no magic that can keep us all safe."

"But you're Jester! You're amazing." When she doesn't respond, Beau continues, "I, uh – we all love you a lot, Jester," Beau says. "We wouldn't want you to do this alone. We want to be here. And we will get through."

"Thank you, Beau."

"Do you want me to go?" Beau asks, and Jester shakes her head. Beau slides over, resting her chin on Jester's head. Jester leans against Beau's shoulder, and together they watch white clouds drift overhead, a brief, blissful moment of peace in the eye of this journey's storm.

**Author's Note:**

> I do have a part 2 mostly written, so will be adding that once classes stop trying to end me. 
> 
> ***Please excuse any misunderstanding of D&D mechanics, I am here for the character development. 
> 
> at/everlightly on tumblr, come talk to me about critical role, this quarantine hiatus is rough.


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